The Royals and Guardians had a sloppy play turn into a full-on umpiring mess thanks to Angel Hernandez. With runners on second and third, Salvador Perez hit a deep fly ball to right center. Neither outfielder called it, so it dropped between them. One run came in, but things unraveled as confusion over the catch call caused Andrew Benintendi to retreat to second. Turns out Hernandez had incorrectly ruled the ball was caught well after it hit the ground. This forced Benintendi to head back, where he was thrown out. The umpires eventually admitted the mistake and placed Benintendi on third base to fix it, leaving Guardians manager Terry Francona stunned.
Later on, Hernandez missed another call when José Ramírez beat out an infield chopper, only to be called out. Ramírez waited calmly while the replay crew overturned the call. Hernandez had to reverse himself again. Both missed calls were clear on replay, frustrating fans and players alike.
The clip ended by revisiting Hernandez’s background. He previously sued MLB, claiming discrimination for not being picked to work the World Series and not being promoted to crew chief. MLB responded in court that Hernandez hasn’t shown the leadership or decision-making skills required at the highest level. Critics argue that performance, not bias, is the issue, and league rules protect poor umpires from consequences. Hernandez’s repeated high-profile blunders continue to highlight that problem.